Content To Be Cursed
by SoraGirl
Summary: When an old family curse sends Frida on a frantic search for her perfect date, Manny unexpectedly finds himself trying to prove it could be him. Manny x Frida.


**Disclaimer: **I admit it, I don't own El Tigre! :(

**A Forward From the Author:**

So, I first started writing this fic a day prior to the El Tigre premiere week. I initially planned for it to be a very quick oneshot that I could write and post before the premiere week began to encourage everyone to watch the new episodes. Since I didn't have much time to think up an elaborate and unique plot, I decided to just pick one of the very basic plot lines for a shipping fanfic: a school dance.

Anyway, extenuating circumstances (work, family, ect.) kept me from finishing when I intended to, so that by Friday of the premiere week I was about ¾ of the way done. You can imagine my surprise when Dance and Wrong premiered that morning. The plot to my story ended up lining up almost completely with Dance and Wrong, which made me both excited and sad. Excited that I had apparently been thinking so similarly to the actual El Tigre staff, but sad because I knew I was going to have some rewriting to do.

Anyway, instead of totally trashing what I had already written, I just finished the story and made some edits (introduced the Suarez Family Curse, for one) to what I already had so you weren't hearing the same story twice. One difference that was there from the beginning, though, was that I put our heroes in high school so they could have slightly more mature feelings for one another.

While I was writing, I tried very hard to stay as true to the show's 'character' as possible. To do so, I imagined the story playing out in my head with El Tigre animation, voice actors, music, ect and then tried to write it down. However, cartoons are a much different venue than short stories. For instance, watching Frida choose to throw a potato at Sartana is much funnier than reading, 'Frida saw many different weapons to use against Sartana. She decided to throw a potato.' and Grandpapi flying out the window makes sense when you see it but ending a conversation with 'And then Grandpapi flew out the window' doesn't seem to. Anyway, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I was able to at least somewhat transfer the show's 'flavor' into fanfic okay :) Please let me know what you think!

**And now…**

**_Content To Be Cursed_**

Manny Rivera was, quite honestly, pretty surprised when a live turtle came hurtling towards his desk.

He looked across the room towards Frida Suarez.

"Where did you even get that?" he asked, notably impressed. She shrugged, as if that was explanation enough.

Manny's eyes narrowed in determination. Clearly, his opponent was much more skilled than he had realized. He was going to have to step his game up.

He surveyed the room for something that would top Frida's last throw. Most of the big things (binders, books, a few chairs) already lay in piles either around her desk or his own. As he searched, his classmates remained obliviously listening to whatever it was their teacher was talking about. A devious grin slowly spread across his face.

The See Who Can Throw the Super Macho-ist Thing Across the Room Without Getting Caught Game was one of the duos favorites. It had started out when teachers at Leone High School had tried to stop disruptions to class by putting the two on opposite sides of the room. At first, they had thrown notes to each other to pass the time, until one day Frida ran out of paper and started writing her notes on lunch meats. The rest sort of just followed from there.

Though Frida may have inspired the game's creation, as Manny tipped toed out of his own seat and up a few rows, he was confident he was going to have the winning throw this time. With a big heave, he hurled Carlos, one of his smaller classmates, across the room.

Strange and horrifying noises had become such a common occurrence from the back of the class since Manny and Frida had been moved there that the loud crash caused little surprise. Still, it was slightly disappointing that a scream, bang, collapsing desk, and excited exclamation of "Nice one, Manny!" didn't get even a single head turn.

Before they could fret over it for too long, the bell rang for lunch. Carlos brushed off and scurried after the rest of class, who had all disappeared in a hurry.

"It just stops being fun when it's that easy," Frida pointed out as she walked towards Manny. It was true enough. The real challenge of the See Who Can Throw the Super Macho-ist Thing Across the Room Without Getting Caught Game was the not getting caught part. If they could create a ruckus like that without so much as a stern glare, where was the thrill?

"Yeah, we'll have to think of a new game," he agreed. He pondered for a moment. "Maybe something with lasers."

As the two walked to lunch, they were so involved with plans for a new way of passing the time in class they hardly noticed the whispery, giggling excitement that seemed to race along the halls. They managed to get all the way to the cafeteria before they noticed something was afoot.

The normally strictly socially enforced layout of the cafeteria was askew in place of utter pandemonium. Teens scurried table to table as if their lives depended on it. The room was alive with chatter, squeals, and hushed whispers.

"Uh—" Manny started, looking with bewilderment at the scene in front of him. Before he could say anymore, one of Frida's band members approached.

"Sorry, Freeds, but we definitely have to cancel our gig Friday night. I mean, I know it's a big chance but this is _so_ much bigger! I mean, our first high school dance!"

"Whatsthatnow?" Frida spit out, looking slightly terrified.

The girl laughed out loud. "You didn't hear? Don't you pay _any_ attention in class?"

Frida and Manny exchanged a look before both shaking their heads.

"Well, the Annual Leone High School Super Fiesta-thon is on Friday, and it is absolutely the biggest event of the year, if not our entire lives!" While her voice had started out sounding normal, it grew more and more frantic with every word so that by the end of the sentence, she was panting. Realizing this, she smiled uncomfortably, said a quick, "So anyway, see ya!" before trotting away.

Manny watched her retreat with curiosity. He laughed. "Can you believe how crazy everyone's getting over some stupid school dance?"

When Frida gave no response, he looked over to find her with wide eyes, taking heaving panicked breaths that reminded him of his mother. "Frida!?" he exclaimed with surprised disappointment. "Not you too! What's the big deal? It's just some stupid dance."

She shook her head while she tried to calm herself enough to just form words. "It's not the dance. It's the _date_." She spat out the word as if it were poison.

"Don't worry about it. I don't mind taking you," Manny said, slightly surprised she hadn't thought of that to begin with.

He was _expecting_ a high five, a thank you, or maybe even a "Manny, you're the best!" What he _actually_ _got_ was a--"NO!"

"Why not?" The young crime fighter/occasional crime creator demanded, very much offended that his friend apparently found the idea of him as a date to be absolutely deplorable. "We've always gone to dances together!"

"We've always gone to _middle school_ dances together," Frida corrected. "This is our _first high school dance_: _this_ is different."

"Different how?" Whatever the difference was, Manny didn't think it made him any less desirable a dance partner.

Frida gazed around the bustling cafeteria where her classmates still moved to and fro in unpredictable patterns. She shook her head and leaned in. "Not here," she said in a low, secret-agent-esque voice. "Meet me at my house after school. Come alone."

Manny stared blankly at her in fluorescence lights of the cafeteria. "…so, wanna eat?"

"Yeah!"

And so lunch continued.

* * *

Even without The See Who Can Throw the Super Macho-ist Thing Across the Room Without Getting Caught Game, Manny found not paying attention in class that day easier than ever. He was distracted by how angry he was that Frida had refused him as a date and was even more distracted by trying to figure out why it was that that made him so angry. It didn't help that whenever he glanced over at Frida, she never glanced back, but instead, remained mumbling to herself as she scratched down notes in a tiny notebook he had never before seen.

Frida had band practice after school so Manny went home to pass the time before he could find out what was causing his friend to act so strange. As soon as he got in the door, he dropped his bookbag and trudged brokenly over to the couch.

Rodolfo pulled down the paper he was reading a few inches to glance at his son. "Good day at school?" he asked.

"Mmghmm," Manny responded stoically from the couch.

"Any exciting vocabulary quizzes?"

"Uhgmm."

"Is everything okay?"

"Mmghm."

"I have decided to sell all your things and donate your Grandpapi to the poor. Your thoughts?"

"Mmmgmm."

Rodolfo frowned. Clearly he was going to have to use a more direct approach. He got up and sat on the table in front of where his son laid on the couch. He was slightly surprised to find Manny's expression more irritated than depressed.

"Mijo, I am your father. Tell me what is on your mind."

Manny sighed angrily, crossing his arms. "Well, there's this stupid dance at school on Friday-"

"School dance?" Rodolfo interrupted eagerly, eyes filling with anticipation. "Surely you don't mean the Annual Leone High School Super Fiesta-thon?"

"Yeah, that," his son answered dryly.

Rodolfo squealed with excitement. "Manny! The Fiesta-thon is one of the most important moments in a young man's life! Have you gotten a date yet?"

Manny pushed aside his confusion at his father's reaction long enough to remember how irritated he had been with Frida. "That's the thing. Frida and I always go to dances together, but when I offered to be her date this time, she acted like that would be worse than going alone!"

"And she was right!" Rodolfo exclaimed. Manny's jaw dropped. That was far from the fatherly sympathy he had expected. "Manny, the Fiesta-thon is much too important an event to share with a friend. One's date speaks volumes about them and bringing a friend screams of desolation and freakiness! First and foremost, your date must be someone with whom you can have a romantic interest."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Manny asked, offended. "I'm romantically interesting! Why wouldn't Frida find me romantically interesting?"

Rodolfo laughed nervously, tugging on his shirt collar, which suddenly seemed much too tight. "Uh, I think that's the sort of thing you have to talk to your mother about. Oh, look at the time, left a roast on, villains to fight, got to get going, bye!" With that Rodolfo quickly retreated to some unknown destination.

With time left to spare and little better to do, Manny decided he might as well heed his father's advice and pay a visit to his mom. When he arrived at her house, she looked pleased to see him.

"Manny!" she squealed, submerging him in a tight hug. "Come in, come in! Your father called and mentioned you might be stopping by."

They walked over to the couch and both took a seat. Maria handed him a glass of chocolate milk.

"So," she said warmly as he sipped it. "What's this I hear about you having a bit of a crush on Frida?"

Manny automatically spit out the milk he was drinking in shock. "What!? No!! Why—"

Maria put her hand on Manny's knee. "It's nothing to be ashamed of! Your father told me _all_ about it over the phone."

"I didn't say I had a crush on her! I was just mad because she doesn't think I'd make a good date."

His mother smiled slyly. "And _why_ does that make you mad?"

Manny blushed slightly; it was a question he had been asking himself all day. "I don't know…because _I_ think I _could_ be a good date."

"Mijo, Frida is a lovely girl who you enjoy being around and spend most of your time with," Maria pointed out. "She has been your best friend for _years_. It was really only a matter of time before you wondered if there was something more."

"Well, how do I know then? I mean…if there is_,"_ Manny asked, hoping his mother would not notice his growing blush.

"Love can't be rushed," she assured him sweetly. "Little hints and pushes in the right direction are fine, but you must give Frida, and yourself, plenty of time to figure it out on your own. Before long, you'll be positively sure, one way or another. It's a fa--"

"Thanks, Mom," Manny interrupted, before she could pull out a book supporting her point. "I should get going, but I'll see you at school tomorrow." He handed his mother his now empty glass, received another hug, and was on his way.

The walk from his mother's house gave Manny _some_ time to think things over but not nearly enough time to figure everything out. Just the idea that he might have a crush on Frida was a _big_ deal. They had been friends for so long that a crush seemed like a childish, silly thing. He wasn't ready to admit it, so he was just going wait and see how it all turned out.

He entered Frida's room through her window, El Tigre style (he found it best to avoid Police Chief Suarez whenever possible), and found her sitting on her bed.

"So," he said as he plopped down on the bed next to her. "What's the story?"

Frida took a deep breath and looked Manny directly in the eye. "We call it the Suarez Family Curse." She wiggled her fingers and drew the words out spookily for added effect.

She reached beneath her mattress and pulled out a huge, worn book. The leather cover had the words, "The Suarez Family Curse" imprinted onto it, and the entire thing was bound by heavy chains and a skull shaped lock.

"How can you keep that thing under your mattress?" he implored.

Frida ignored him. "Manny, this book is a record of the treacherous fate that the Suarez Curse has imposed on dozens of innocent victims."

"What does a family curse have to do with some stupid dance?" Manny demanded, reaching out for the book.

Frida grabbed the book. "Everything!" she said as she began to stroke it softly. Her eyes flashed back to Manny.

"I'm going to try to beat this thing. But all you need to know is that it is _imperative_ to my _survival_ that I find the perfect date by Friday." She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Can I count on you to help?"

Manny hesitated, not thrilled about the prospect of spending the next few days finding Frida a date when he still wasn't sure what he felt about her. Still, she was giving him that desperately sad watery-eyed puppy dog face, and he knew he was going to have to give in.

"Fine," he sighed reluctantly. As Frida threw her arms around him in a thankful hug, he felt a surge of unexpected butterflies in his stomach. Yeah, he thought, it's definitely going to be a very long three days.

The next day at school was the official start of what Frida referred to as "The Hunt." As they walked down the hall, she consulted the small notebook Manny had seen her writing in the day before.

"I'm thinking he needs to be a bad boy," she said, glancing between her notebook and various boys walking down the hall. "What about Ricardo?" Ricardo was a tall, muscular sophomore currently pushing a much smaller freshman into a locker.

"Too symmetrical," he mumbled. He leaned against a locker, attempting to look casual. "You know _I_ still haven't decided to be a hero or a villain yet. That's pretty bad, if you ask me."

"Mmmhmm," Frida mumbled, paying her friend no attention. "It should be the kind of guy my dad wouldn't approve of."

"Your dad can't stand me!"

"Juan's pretty cute," she pointed out, not giving any indication that she had even heard Manny. "Hm, yeah, definitely has to be handsome, too." She made a quick note of it in her book.

Manny flicked his belt and quickly stepped in Frida's way. "Did I happen to mention that El Tigre was voted one of the Top 10 Hottest Super Hunks in Miracle City?" He smoothed his ears back with a sly grin.

Frida snorted out a laugh as she pushed past. "Yeah, I know, the 10th. And how many super hunks _are_ there in Miracle City? Even your dad out ranked you. Tough break, dude."

El Tigre's ears hung sadly as he trudged in defeat after his friend. Though he wasn't still wasn't positive why it seemed so important to him that Frida want him to take her to the dance, being overlooked still stung.

"What's the notepad for?" he questioned weakly as they entered the classroom.

"Calculations," Frida said, eyes never even looking up from her work.

For the first time in his life, Manny was happy to hear the bell for first period ring. He wasn't sure how much more of this he was going to be able to take.

* * *

"So, I've made my decision!" were the first words out of Frida's mouth when she met up with Manny to walk to school the next morning.

Manny, who'd spent most of the previous night convincing himself that if he really cared about Frida he would suck it up, get over it, and just focus on being the most supportive friend he could be, was now finding it very hard to stick to that resolution.

Still, he did his best to ask through gritted teeth. "Oh yeah? Who's the lucky guy?"

"Suave Torrez," she explained in that tone she got whenever one of her devious plans was working out.

Manny gulped. Suave Torrez was probably the most popular boy in school. He was a hunk, athlete, straight-A student and considered 100 perfect by about 99 of the opposite sex.

"_That_ loser?" he attempted lamely. "He probably has to stay home and you know…be smart or something." He said the last part with as much disdain as he could muster.

"Actually, I called him last night, and he said he'd love to go," she smiled. He felt his heart drop again. Of _course_, Suave would say yes. Manny was pretty sure Frida was as close to perfect as a girl could really get. Who _wouldn't_ jump at the opportunity to spend time with her? He suddenly felt very much like an idiot for not having realized that earlier.

Meanwhile, the blue-haired heartthrob seemed unable to contain her excitement. "I can't wait for tomorrow night!" She jumped up on the sidewalk ledge and threw her fists victoriously into the air. "Suarez Family Curse, get ready for the SMACKDOWN of the century!" she screamed before going into a frantic air guitar solo.

When everyone in the nearby area went silent and stared, she looked towards Manny for support, who paused and then offered a tentative thumbs up. She smiled and hopped down.

Remembering the Suarez Family Curse for the first time since Frida had told him about its existence, Manny felt himself smiling a little, too. Perhaps he wouldn't get to go to the dance with Frida, but he couldn't help but enjoy the idea that some horrible fate might befall the boy who took his place.

If Manny had hated Suave on the walk to school that morning, by the end of the day, he absolutely despised him. From the moment they set foot on school ground, Suave followed Frida around like a sick puppy dog. Thankfully, though, Frida seemed to be more confused by the outcry of affection than anything else.

The next day was even worse, and although Frida explained that Suave was only acting that way to get back at the girl he had just broken up with, Manny knew he wasn't going to be able to take much more. Instead of waiting to walk home with Frida (and inevitably Suave) after school, he slipped out as soon as the bell rang.

He arrived home to an empty house and plopped down on the couch to numb himself with some TV. The phone started to ring halfway into his second Spongebob episode. He let the answering machine pick up. It was Frida, worried about where he'd disappeared to after school. He thought briefly about picking up the phone but then bitterly decided that she'd be too busy getting ready for the Fiesta-thon (which was in just a few hours) to worry too much about him. Just in case, he took the phone off the hook so he wouldn't be bothered.

Manny wasn't sure how long he had been laying there by the time the doorbell rang. He glanced at the clock before making his way off the couch: 7:50. The dance started at 8. Frida and her date would be arriving in no time. He grimaced.

"I don't want any—" He got no further before his jaw dropped. "_Frida_." It was surprising enough to see Frida standing in his doorway and even more surprising to her standing there like _this_. She was in a black and red halter dress, complete with jewelry, makeup, and heels. She was certainly one spicy senorita.

Also helping to take Manny's breath away was the death grip hug she immediately flung on him. She let go and punched him. "Why weren't you answering the phone? I was worried!"

Manny immediately took to the offensive. "Yeah, cause I couldn't _possibly_ have been busy or anything like that."

Frida eyed him strangely. "When your best friend's a superhero and disappears off the face off the earth, you sort of have reason to get a little concerned."

"Obviously not too concerned to get ready for the dance," he pointed out.

She looked down at herself as if she was just realizing how she was dressed. "You can thank my family for that. They don't have much faith that'll beat the curse. They wouldn't let me out of the house unless I convinced them I was going straight to the dance."

"Why? What happens if you don't go?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "You know, die miserable and alone."

"And you still came here?" Manny was touched that she would put herself in that kind of danger.

"Manny," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "You're my best friend. If something had happened to you, dying miserable and alone would be a siesta in the park."

He couldn't help but hug her. When he let go, he felt a rush of adrenaline pump through him. He looked at the clock: 7:56.

"Come on," he said. "We can still get you to that dance on time—El Tigre style."

With a quick flick of his belt, they were on their way.

"That was awesome!" Frida said as Manny dropped her down in front of entrance to the dance. Her legs wobbled a little from being on solid ground, but Manny caught her before she fell. For some reason, they both blushed.

"Well, I guess you should go find your date," he mumbled, cheeks still red.

Frida's blush turned into an absolutely exuberant smile. "Oh, this curse is so going down." She hugged Manny tightly before rushing inside.

El Tigre sighed, flicked his belt, and started his slow walk back home. He had always struggled between right and wrong, but this time his decision was sound. Frida was his best friend. He had to do what was right for her.

Yet, a small voice inside (the same extremely persuasive small voice that usually convinced him to do the sort of things his Grandpapi would be proud of) wondered if Suave was _really_ the right thing for Frida. And what about Suave himself? If Frida couldn't defeat her family curse, he was going to meet some horrible fate. Wasn't it his job, as a hero, to try and protect him?

As usual, the small voice's argument seemed extremely convincing to Manny. He was going to have to bust that dance, for Suave's sake. He turned back towards the school but then paused, and took off full speed towards home. If he was going to break up Frida's date, he should at least looking good doing it.

And so, less than an hour later, Manny once again stood in front of the entrance to the Annual Leone High School Super Fiesta-thon. He took a deep breath, straightened his tie, and walked inside. He had had a running plan in his head of out suave-ing Suave, sweeping Frida off her feet, and escorting her romantically away like some kind of damsel in distress. However, the second he spotted Frida dancing with Suave, he got flustered and just went with the first thing that popped in his head.

"Giant man eating alligators escaped from the zoo and are headed this way!" he screamed.

There was a pause as the DJ cut the music playing and everyone turned to stare.

He threw his hands up in the air and shouted. "RUN!!"

After a swell of laughter, the music cut back on and the Fiesta-thon continued as if there had been no interruptions. Manny's face was red with embarrassment.

"Nice going, El Tigre," he muttered to himself as he exited the school in humiliation.

"Manny!"

He turned to see Frida trotting outside behind him. She looked around. "Hey…where are giant man eating alligators?"

He sat down on the edge of a nearby fountain, crossed his arms, and looked down at the ground. "There weren't any," he sighed.

Frida arched her eyebrow in confusion as she sat down next to her friend. "So then what was that about?" Suddenly her face lit up. "Oh!! Is it some kind of plot to get everyone out of the school so you could steal the answers to all our tests for the next four years so we'd never have to study again?"

"Nope," he responded dully.

Frida began to rattle off a series of absurd scenarios for Manny's actions.

"It wasn't any of that," he admitted, realizing she wouldn't stop guessing till she got it right. He stood up, shoved his hands in his pockets, and kicked the side of the fountain. "I just didn't want you to be at the dance with Suave."

He moved his glance, now angry, from the ground to Frida. "I mean, I don't even get it. If he's so perfect, why risk getting him all cursed up? Am I really such a horrible date you'd rather risk getting Mr. Smarty-Good-Looking-Pants in there plagued by boils or something than just go with me?"

Frida looked as if a light bulb had just gone off in her brain.

"Manny," she said, pulling him down to sit on the fountain ledge again. "I never explained to you what the Suarez Curse actually was, did I?"

Manny, looking crossly in the other direction, shook his head.

"Here," she said. There was a clanking that sounded as if something was being unlocked. Manny felt something heavy in his hands.

He looked down to see the book Frida had previously had under her mattress."Where'd you get this? You can't have been carrying this on you the whole time. You don't even have a purse."

Frida just shrugged, which for some reason, seemed to make Manny's heart flutter."Just open it," she instructed.

Manny obeyed and began flipping through the heavy volume. It seemed much more like a photo album than an ancient book about some horrible curse. As page after page went by, he noticed a theme. Each chapter started with a picture of a couple at a dance and ended with them getting married. He recognized the last picture as Frida's parents' wedding. He closed the book and looked up at her.

"I don't get," he said blankly. "What's the curse?"

She sighed and took the book back from him. "Whoever takes a Suarez to their first high school dance becomes the person they spend the rest of their life with."

Before Manny could get out a "Frida, that's not a curse! That's kinda cute," a realization hit him. He felt a strange clinking inside his chest, as if his heart had been smashed and was slowly shattering to pieces. "So…you're going to spend the rest of your life with Suave then?" He stood up with righteous indignation. "You hardly even know the guy!"

Frida stood up as well. "Dude, have you _totally_ not been paying attention? I'm doing this to _beat_ the curse!"

"Go on…" Manny, eyes narrowed with intrigued suspicion.

"Uh, I don't think you want to know."

"Yes, I do."

"It's beyond gag-tastic."

"You've got to tell me."

"It's like…something your dad would say."

"Come on, Frida!"

"Okay, but it's going to make you hurl…and probably pretty uncomfortable, too."

"Just tell me already!"

She took a deep breath in and sat back down. "Well, I've always sort of just figured that…you know…_we'd_ end up together. So if I took someone else to the dance, but ended up with you: wala, curse broken."

Manny felt the heart racing combination of hope and might-be. "But why'd you go through all that work to find a date then?" His voice came out sounding a little more breathless than he would have liked it to.

"Hey, I _did_ say 'sort of just figured,' didn't I? I wasn't exactly ready to risk spending the next 60 years with someone like Sergio on a hunch," she snorted.

"But…" Manny furrowed his brow in thought. "Then why risk trying to break the curse at all? If you weren't sure."

"Well, you know how much I like to break stuff," she pointed out. Manny nodded; it was one of their favorite past times. "Plus, this was kind of my only option. I can't think of anyone but you that I could spend _that_ much time with without murdering, but if you took me to the dance, I 

would have always worried the curse had forced us together. So I figured breaking the curse was my only chance at not becoming a homicidal maniac or paranoid schizophrenic."

Manny's heart, which had been beating furiously for some time, now seemed to be pumping out pure adrenaline. He fought to keep cool as he took a step closer to Frida and rocked forward and back on his heels. "You know, technically, I _did_ 'take' you to the dance."

Frida shot up, eyes bright with fear. "You're right!" She began frantically flipping the pages of the book. "It's okay; we are oooo-kay. Look! All the pictures have them dancing. So, we would have had to-"

Frida stopped at the pressure of Manny's hand on hers. She looked up, surprised. He pulled her away from the book and placed his arms around her waist. In the absence of speech, they could hear a soft melody pouring out from inside. Manny started swaying gently to it.

"But—the curse—" Frida started, eyes wide.

"Hah! El Tigre ain't afraid of no stinkin' curses," he said with as much macho as he could muster. "Besides," he smirked, lowering his voice sweetly. "I've always sort of figured we'd end up together, anyway."

They smiled, both feeling a nervousness that was unfamiliar to two people so familiar to each other. They looked away for a moment, an attempt to calm racing nerves. When they looked back, their cheeks were slightly pinker. Manny leaned forward timidly, slowly closing the space between them. His lingering approach was staggered by nervous excitement.

Suddenly, Frida threw her hands on either side of Manny's face, pulled him the rest of the gap, and kissed him fiercely.

When they finally parted, Manny let out a breathless whistle. "I…I was going to get to that."

"Well, you were sort of taking forever," she grinned.

He squeezed her a bit closer, the nervousness of earlier quickly dissolving into comfort and contentment.

"So what do we do now?" she asked. "I'm sure Suave's already back with his ex, which means I've got the rest of the night totally free."

"Well, we could just dance under the soft glow of the moonlight, staring lovingly into each other's eyes." Manny looked at Frida's horrified expression and grinned. "Or you know, we could go find some giant man eating alligators and set them loose on the Fiesta-thon."

"Wooha!" Frida yelled. She grabbed his hand and began dragging him away.

As the feel of his hand in hers sent a tingle up his spine, Manny couldn't help but think that if the Suarez Family Curse had indeed claimed another victim that night, he was content to be cursed.

_Fin._

* * *

So, I hope you liked my first El Tigre fanfic! Hopefully there will be many more to come. I just stumbled on El Tigre about a month ago and haven't been able to get enough of it since then. I encourage everyone to do what they can to keep such an amazing show from getting cancelled! (Google "save el tigre" for details on how)

Viva El Tigre!

(And please review! ;))

Best wishes,

Soragirl


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